Analysis - Washington Institute For Defence & Security

22 Dec 21

What does President Putin want?

President Putin has made it clear that he wants immediate talks to secure clear legal agreements that Nato will not expand eastwards. He has further alleged that Russian-speaking people in Ukraine continue to face prejudices and are not safe. Moscow is looking to prevent Ukraine joining NATO or the EU, not in the near future, […]

20 Dec 21

UAE Foreign Policy Diversification

The United Arab Emirates ordered 80 Rafale fighter jets and 12 military helicopters last week, deepening economic and political ties with France through an arms contract worth 17 billion euros ($19.20 billion). The arms sale came during a visit by President Emmanuel Macron to Dubai, according to a statement by the Elysee cited by state-run […]

15 Dec 21

4 Key Issues of the New Political Reality in North Macedonia

Regular local elections recently ended in North Macedonia, in which the opposition party VMRO-DPMNE won a major victory over the ruling SDSM, winning over 110,000 more votes than Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s party. VMRO-DPMNE won not only in most Macedonian municipalities, but also in the capital Skopje, while for the first time Kumanovo was led […]

10 Aug 21

Tension in the Black Sea: A view from the deckplates of great power competition

A Russian ship made unexpected radio contact with the American destroyer Ross on July 2nd, following live-fire drills between the US and Ukraine. The Russians advised the crew to leave this place. A naval drill is being held here by the Russian Navy. The Americans were in the Black Sea for their own exercise, Sea […]

07 Aug 21

The Pentagon to test a floating robot gas station

The Pentagon plans to test a full-scale autonomous ocean-going replenishment system made up of technology-driven modules that turn current barges into self-moving platforms capable of landing and refueling combat aircraft. They’ll form a network of intelligent, floating military gas and replenishment stations. Sea Machines, an autonomous marine navigation business, is the project’s primary contractor. The […]

07 Aug 21

Drones War: Iran is transforming the Middle East

Propaganda can be just as essential as actual breakthroughs in drone conflicts. Everyone that builds drones seemed to be copying each other. The Sentinel was a replica of Iran’s Saegeh. Iran’s jet-powered Simorgh, the Shahed S-171, is also a replica of the US Sentinel drone, which was initially deployed by Tehran in 2014. The IRGC’s […]

06 Aug 21

Isolation of the Russian internet and its consequences for Russian cyber activity

President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced their commitment to future, lower-level cybersecurity discussions after their meeting in Geneva. Biden claimed he pushed Putin to crack down on cybercrime in Russia during a press conference conducted separately from Putin. Yet, just weeks later, over the July 4 weekend, a Russian criminal gang launched a […]

06 Aug 21

Does the US Arms Sales Policy need revision?

The United States’ policy on arms sales is out of control. Since 2002, the United States has sold significant conventional weapons and accompanying military assistance to 167 nations for more than $197 billion. President Donald Trump signed a record number of arms agreements in his first year in office, potentially totaling hundreds of billions of […]

18 Jun 21

Can the NATO overcome Russian army capabilities?

There is little doubt that Russia’s annexation of Crimea and other acts of aggression in Ukraine have given birth to a new era of instability in Europe, redrawing borders by force and raising hostility and the possibility of conflict between NATO and Russia. These elements have already been observed in post-World War II history. There […]

14 Apr 21

US withdrawal from Afghanistan shows Biden’s bravery

The Biden administration’s plan to pull all American soldiers out of Afghanistan by September 11, 2021 was a good strategic move that required a lot of political bravery. The administration rightly judged that continuing the US military presence in Afghanistan has become a strategic burden and a pointless investment that has lost its potential to […]